The positive passenger numbers seen in June shows just how valuable Heathrow is to the world, its new CEO has said.

Last month, passenger numbers reached their highest levels ever seen during the month of June, as 6.6 million people travelled through the airport. Compared to June 2013, passenger figures have climbed by 1.1 per cent. Seats per aircraft have seen a rise too of 0.4 per cent, reaching 203.5, reports buyingbusinesstravel.com. Load factors, on the other hand, are down by 0.2 per cent, meaning they currently stand at 80.8 per cent.

John Holland-Kaye, the airport’s new CEO, says he will fight to get a third runway built at Heathrow.

“My ambition is to take Heathrow from being one of the best airports in Europe to one of the best in the world and to connect all of Britain to global growth, and to do it sustainably, by expanding Heathrow,” he explains.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, wants to build a new airport in the Thames Estuary dubbed ‘Boris Island’, which would mean shutting Heathrow. Despite their disagreements, Mr Holland-Kaye wants to fix their relationship, as he says they both realise that London needs a new hub airport, reports standard.co.uk. Moreover, the Heathrow boss claims that Westminster backs the expansion plan.